This blog post shares some insights and reminders about the constant need to consistently include large-scale social media activations into your event programme to improve your amplification opportunities and achieve a better ROI on your event investment.

Okay, there is nothing remarkably groundbreaking in this specific blog post, but often we need a reminder to keep finding new ways to leverage social media usage at consumer shows and events to continue to drive consumer engagement and awareness.

The beauty of social media is that it moves communication away from the private conversations we have on a one-on-one basis between the individual and the brand to a one-to-many approach. While the one-on-one discussions are useful, they negate the power of social sharing and the significant amplification that comes from favourable word-of-mouth advertising.

When events first started incorporating social media into their communications strategy, it was considered merely another communications channel to talk to and interact directly with the consumer. The incorporation of social media within events was not conceived as a channel that would engage enthusiasts and consumers to interact and reach out to other like-minded individuals, yet with the right social activation, this is what it does, and this is where the real opportunities for brand reach lie.

The very fact that some enthusiastic and engaged consumers, possibly without a deliberate intention to be a brand ambsssador, actively share their positive brand experience with their friends and social network, has made them into invaluable brand advocates and brilliant brand champions.

With events, it’s essential to integrate a social media campaign that garners more than a LIKE on a brand’s Facebook page. The idea is to get your brand and any positive experience into the newsfeed of your consumers to make the very most of the amplification opportunities of the users’ friends. Likes on a brand’s Facebook page is one thing, but this only increases your audience by one.

However, with encouraging the user to generate their content and share it via their news feed, you can expose your brand to hundreds of more consumers at once. So, when it comes to social media activations at events, the same rules apply with regards to individual experiences. Small-scale activations work, but only on a small scale. To get the best return on your event investment and the best amplification social activations should be social by design, and large-scale.

How? Well, let’s consider an exhibition stand or experiential roadshow. In both cases, activation of the entire roadshow display and exhibition stand for social media would be the focus of the design. An exhibition stand or roadshow should be designed to include multiple activation points where consumers and the press can interact with your brand in real-time.

The nature of real-time activities enables your brand to support, listen and engage with your customers immediately. This immediacy then creates further opportunities for consumers to reach out to their friends and other consumers at the event when they are at their most heightened state of arousal, and most likely to share the content and experience within their social network.

Missing out on these incredible social activations means that you are missing out on the opportunity of turning your active consumers and engaged enthusiasts into your very own brand champions.

To find out more about how Shapes can help you with your social and digital engagement give Amanda or Matt a call today on 01252 413771 or 01252 413772

Blog posts written by
Amanda Bates – Marketing Director – SHAPES